


Losing The Wolf

by collidewithskies



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Other, add more as i go on, but lots of angst because why not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-29
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 16:27:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5097395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/collidewithskies/pseuds/collidewithskies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some people are not who they pretend to be. Sometimes the lies they string together are not meant to protect themselves, but others. </p><p>When the Inquisitor’s past comes back to haunt her it could very well shatter the foundations of Elvish society </p><p>(It looks like the Wolf isn’t the only one who has secrets.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Losing The Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> I WILL TRY TO KEEP THIS AS CANON AS I CAN BUT I PROBABLY WILL CHANGE A LOT, SORRY. ALSO. I WILL USE THE ELVISH PHRASES I KNOW FROM DA BUT FOR FULL CONVERSATIONS IT WILL BE ITALICIZED. 
> 
> (Also sorry if there are mistakes!)

_The young elf looks at the ground to balance herself, but finds it doing the opposite. The ground seems to be moving even though she is completely still. She breathes in a shaky breath and closes her eyes, trying to absorb the pain and transform it into a problem she can ignore. When she reopens her eyes she finds the pain in her head to be growing steadily worse. But nevertheless she resolves to continue forward._

_She doesn’t recognize where she is. Wisps of bright green light seem to dance around her and she can’t help but want to stop and enjoy it. But something tells her that if she did, she would find it harder to leave. Formations of rocks jut out the ground, some she thinks reach the top of the cavern but she is unsure seeing as she, herself, cannot see the top (she calls it a cavern only because she knows not what else to call it.)_

_She stumbles and she can’t quench the fear that tugs at her stomach. It's the fear of the unknown. The fear that wherever she is, she might not be able to get out. She gingerly brings her hand up to the back of her head and applies pressure to the wound that keeps sending shock waves of intense pain throughout her head. Her knees buckle and she sees stars momentarily dance across her vision. She feels nauseous, wants to empty her stomach of contents it can not afford to lose. But she doesn’t lose the contents of her stomach until she hears the all-too-familiar clicking of the massive spiders._

_She doesn't try to fight them, her mania already being depleted from fighting the others. No, she merely wipes the bile away from her mouth before stumbling forward. She doesn’t know which direction to go in until she sees the outline of a woman, shrouded in white. The woman stands on top of a stairway which is surrounded by sharp rocks. The stairs themselves are rough and stiff. The elf stumbles towards the stairs and tries to keep herself clearheaded enough to ascend them. When she hears the clicking and screeching getting closer she abandons her slow ascent up the stairs and starts to climb them instead, hoping to gain momentum. The stone of the stairs bites into her hands and knees but she can’t afford to take a breather._

_She risks a glance up to see how far she has made it and that turns into her downfall. She feels her body slip before she can do anything to stop it. Her eyes widen as she tries to grasp something before she falls straight into the spiders. Suddenly the woman thrusts her arm out, urging the girl to take it but as soon as their fingertips collide her world is thrown into agonizing pain and darkness._

_The last thing she remembered was falling to the cold, rocky ground. She uttered a cry as her head once again struck the ground. Green light erupted from her hand, illuminating her face, it seemed to pulse with it’s own heartbeat. What she wasn’t expecting was the pulsing green light to emit a shock wave of pain that wracked her body, worse than the ones running rampant in her head. She couldn’t help the heart wrenching scream that rolled out of her mouth. She could hear voices in front of her but couldn’t distinguish the words being said. She lifts her head though, in an attempt to see what was happening around her. Two blurred figures come running towards her and she puts the last of her energy into a Mind Blast. And even though her mania was nearly completely drained, she manages to send the two figures spiraling through the air and cause them to both land flat on their arses. She hears shouting and then chaos erupts but she does not have the energy to stay awake._

 

\---

 

What woke her up was not being transferred, or the searing pain in her hand but the soft whispering of someone above her. She could feel her tendons and ligaments being worked on which gave her cause to believe that she was not supposed to be awake right now. But nevertheless the aching in her head prompted her to talk to whomever was working on her body. 

_"Mana. Ma halani. My head."_ She breathed out, barely audible. The older elf stopped his muttering to give the young girl a quizzical look. He had thought the potion would last longer. But seeing as he was not the one who made it, he resolved that he should've known better. 

" _Ir abelas da’len, but I cannot. I will focus on your head once you are out of danger from the mark on your hand._ ” He got up and shuffled to the other side of the cell and exchanged words with the guards there and then returned. He looked down at the younger elf’s face. Her face had not been marred by the vallaslin but yet her accent was not one that many city elf's had. And as most city elf’s did not openly speak the elvish language that was also out of the question. He imagined that her face was normally pleasing to look at, but with being nearly covered in blood and her hair in a mess he couldn’t know for sure. Her hair was a shocking shade of white, reminding the older elf of snow. But her hair was not the most shocking feature she possessed he found out when she peeled open her eyes. Her eyes were the color of the ocean after a storm. Green, blue, and grey were the colors he could distinguish from the tired eyes. 

When the girl finally opened her eyes she was relieved as her sight was not hindered by blurriness. The elf standing in front of her was older but very attractive. She could see that even with the haggard appearance he had. 

“Here you go elf. This should knock her out for a while.” A voice interrupts both elves before a guard hands the older elf a concoction. He merely nods at the guard before turning his attention back to the girl.

“ _Here da’len, drink this._ ” The young elf does as he asks and her world falls into darkness again. 

 

\---

 

“Did you find anything?” The young elf awoke startled as the conversation began. The two humans were too busy bickering to notice the stir of movement at the other end of the cell. The Templar, however, did. 

“No, as far as anybody knows, she doesn’t exist.” The spymaster said, she doesn't know what good her position is if she can't find out anything about the elf laying in the cell. 

“Bah! Another elf we have no information on.

“Cassandra, Leliana, she’s awake.” Both women immediately looked at the young elf sitting on the bed, her legs were pulled up to her chest and she had a terrified expression on her face. She wasn’t looking at the two females though, she wore her terrified expression at the Templar. Her mania had regenerated and was now pulsing off of her in waves of pure, unadulterated, magic. It was something she never meant to do, it only occurred when she was terrified or believed herself in great danger. An automatic defense system she always had. The pulses acted as a barrier between her and her captors. They wouldn’t be able to near her with it active.

Sensing the change in energy the Templar immediately drew his sword. The two humans looked between the prisoner and the Templar. Clearing not being able to sense the change. The two guards joined his stance, with swords drawn and hands raised. 

“ _Ir abelas! Please do not hurt me! Ir abelas!_ ” The elf could feel the familiar pull as one of the guards tried to drain her mana. But when the waves increased in velocity and strength the tension in the room grew. Suddenly, a new face was thrown into the battle that was about to erupt and it was one the young elf recognized. 

“Stop this at once! You are scaring the girl to death!” 

“What would you have me do Solas? She started performing magic!” The Templar said in a harsh tone.

“And by drawing your sword you have only increased the fear with which is producing the magic!” The Templar clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on his sword. “You must lower your sword if you expect anything of her.” 

“She is a prisoner, I’ll remind you.” 

“ _Ma melava halani. Garas quenathra?_ ” The argument quickly brewing between the Templar and Solas immediately dissipated as the young elf looked at Solas with wide eyes. The Templar and his guards reluctantly sheathed their swords, seeing as it was getting them nowhere. The Templar made sure to keep a shaking hand on his.

“ _Yes. Mala suledin nadas. I am here to help you. You are safe da’len. These people will not cause you harm, they only wish to know some information._ ”

“ _If they only wished to know information I would not be in a cell._ ” She spat out, but she averted her eyes and hurriedly continued, “ _I am sorry hahren, I do not mean to take my confusion out on you. But I have not had good interactions with shems before._ ” 

“ _Not many of our kind have. If I would have your permission I would like to help you control this magic._ ” 

“ _Very well, ma nuvenin._ ” He walked towards her and when he reached the bed, held out his hand. The younger elf eyed it for a moment before lifting one of her own to touch it. When they met an internal battle erupted between the two as their magic energies explored and tried to dominate each other. The young elf was stronger than what Solas has expected her to be. Her magic was dominating and ruthless not akin to the innocent and harmless look she possessed. Her energy reminded him of something he had felt long ago and he knew it was something he was going to have to research. Solas let go of the girl's hand before too much of his energy began to show and she discover just how powerful he really is.

The waves of her magic had dispersed and instead intertwined itself in his energy. It was obvious she was curious about him. So he let her energy be distracted by his. If it saved her head, he had no complaints. 

As soon as the waves stopped the Templar walked over to the girl and harshly yanked her out of the cell. The rest of the group followed, each having different emotions towards the scene. Solas was infuriated with the treatment of the girl but kept his mouth shut. The Templar threw the girl in the middle of the imprinted circle of stones. She landed with a loud thud but with her energy distracted by Solas, she did not strike out. 

The girl lifted her body off of the ground and sat on her knees on the stone. Her head was tipped downwards and her hands were folded in her lap. This position struck a feeling of sympathy in the Templar. Having seen it and the fear a hundred times over. He stationed the guards to either side of her and he himself took the rear. Cassandra and Leliana soon began the interrogation.

“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now. The conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Expect for you.” The seeker spoke in a thick Nevarran accent, circling the young elf like prey. Her voice wavered slightly when she spoke, signaling the grief she felt. 

The young elf's lips parted, as if she was going to reply but she ultimately closed her mouth and furrowed her eyebrows. The absolute look of confusion on the girl's face startled Cassandra. She was expecting this girl to confess, to tell her why she killed all those people. The look shook her resolve and she wondered if the elf was truly guilty as she had once thought she was. 

“Explain this.” Cassandra seized the elf’s bandaged hand and as if on cue it lit up and sent another shock wave of pain throughout her body. Solas, who was standing next the door wanted to intervene. The mark on the young elf’s hand was far from stable and he feared that messing with it would trigger something that would be irreversibly. But he decided against interrupting when he saw the look of anger of the Seekers face. He remembered the death threats she has spewed at him. 

“ _I cannot._ ” A sudden flash of movement and the Seeker struck the girl's face. The girl uttered no sound of hurt but she couldn’t hide the flash of pain that crossed her features.

“Speak so that I can understand you!” Cassandra spat out causing Leliana to start. She intended to talk some sense in the Seeker but before she could do so the elf spoke up for herself. 

“I said that I cannot. And in further events I’d ask that you merely tell me instead of striking me. I have no intent to be treated like a speck of dirt on your boots.” The elf spoke in a calm voice, eyes raised defiantly but not meeting any of the faces in the room. The Seeker decided to ignore the last part of her sentence. 

“What do you mean you _can’t?_ ” The Seeker's voice trembled with anger and the young elf was doing everything in her power to stay calm. 

“I don’t what that is or how it got there”

“You’re lying!” This time when Cassandra lunges at her it is not to hit her but, rather, to grab the collar of her shirt. She shakes it roughly as if the information she wanted to hear would tumble out of it. Leliana doesn’t hesitant to intervene this time. Her years of working at courts giving her an indication at whether or not someone is lying. And this girl was innocent. 

“We need her, Cassandra.” She spoke softly to her friend, understanding the feeling of grief. But if they were to progress, the Seeker needed to learn how to control it. 

“I don’t understand.” Cassandra started forward at the words of the elf but the spymaster raised her hand and shook her head. 

“Do you remember what happened? How this began?” It was only then that the elf noticed the Orlesian accent she had. 

“I can remember running. My head was causing me much pain, and I could barely walk straight. And then these spiders, no, _things_ started chasing me, and then… a woman?” It was the first time the elf had faltered. She had been making sure to display a calm exterior throughout this whole ordeal. 

“A women?” Leliana repeated, unsure what to make of this new detail. 

“She reached out to me, but then...” The elf let out a sigh of frustration, wanting to remember more but being unable to.

“Go to the forward camp, Leliana, and take Cullen with you. I will take Solas and her to the rift.” The Seeker spoke up softly from besides the spymaster. Cassandra walked over to the girl and held out her hand. The elf stared at it for a second before taking it. The Seeker pulled the girl up and the three of them made their way to the door. 

The girl stopped for a moment before taking her chances and speaking, “what did happen?” 

“It will be easier to show you.” The elf gave a curt nod before allowing Cassandra to lead the way. 

 

\---

 

When the party exited the Chantry, the younger elf couldn’t help but let out a gasp as she viewed the green hole in the sky that mirrored the one on her hand..

“We call it “The Breach.” It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It’s not the only such rift. Just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.” The girl would have considered the breach to be beautiful if it wasn’t for the hundreds of demons that used it as a gateway.

“An explosion can do _that?_ ” She asked incredulously.

“This one did.” Cassandra confirmed while walking towards her. ‘Unless we act, the breach may grow until it swallows the world.” Suddenly the breach pulsed and the girl felt the mark on her hand do the same before a shock wave of pain hit her. She fell to her knees screaming. “Each time the breach expands, your mark spreads… and it is killing you.” 

“You say it _may_ be the key...to doing what?” She questioned breathlessly. Solas knelt next to her and tried to sooth the pulsing mark with healing spells. She aided him, silently casting her own spells. 

“Closing the breach. Whether that’s possible is something we shall discover shortly. It is our only chance, however. And yours.” 

“You still think I did this? To myself?” She angrily gestured to the mark with her good hand.

“Not intentionally. _Something_ clearly went wrong.” 

“And if I’m not responsible?” 

“Someone is, and you are our only suspect. You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way.” 

The elf breathes in deeply before responding. “I understand.” 

“Then…?” 

“I’ll do what I can. Whatever it takes. I cannot have the destruction of the world on top of my shoulders.” Cassandra offered the small elf a smile, one which she didn’t return. 

They keep walking forward until they reach a crowd. It’s not a friendly one, but the girl is used to it. Groups of _shem_ haven’t ever been kind to her. But this one is especially rowdy. Throwing slurs and spitting at her as she walks by. 

“They have decided your guilt. They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between mages and Templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead.” The Seeker's voice quakes but she pushes forward, “we lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves. As she did. Until the breach is sealed.” They finally break away from the crowd and continue walking towards the bridge in front of them.

“You sound as though you thought highly of her.” The elf said in a small voice, not wanting to upset the grief stricken woman further. 

“I did. There will be a trail for your innocence. I can promise no more.” The elf nodded her head in reply. “Come. It is not far.” 

“You have yet to say where you are taking me.” The young elf questioned. 

Solas interrupts the Seeker before she can even think of responding. “Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the breach. If you can take on a rift, you have a better chance of closing the breach.” The younger elf walks away from the two others. she heads to the side of the bridge where they are standing and looks at the mountains breathlessly. She has seen views much better than these but it is a sight to see nevertheless. 

“It occurs to me that I have yet to learn your name.” Solas says, taking a stance next to her. He examines her as she examines her surroundings. When he speaks she turns to face him.

“You may call me Athera.” 

“It has been some time since I have met one with that name.” 

“ _Tel garas solasan, Solas._ Indeed, that name is not commonly used anymore. ” 

“I am surprised to hear you two speak the common tongue. But I am afraid I must urge you to the rift, Athera.” Cassandra interrupted the two. Athera holds back a retort that the elvish language is the common tongue to her, she instead apologizes and follows the Seeker to the gate.

Solas watches her walk away before following. He can’t help the sense of dread that creeps into his mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated (:
> 
> Translation of the elven phrases used: 
> 
> _shem_ : derived from "shemlen", meaning "quickling", or "quick children" the old Elvish term for humans. (Shem and Shemlen are basically the same)
> 
>  _Garas quenathra_ : Why are you here? 
> 
> _Ir abelas_ : I am sorry
> 
>  _Ma melava halani_ : You helped me
> 
>  _Mala suledin nadas_ : Now you must endure.
> 
>  _Ma nuvenin_ : As you wish.
> 
>  _Mana. Ma halani_ : "Ma halani" is "Help me". In this context, "Mana" is an imperative verb, like "Stop" or "Wait".
> 
> Tel garas solasan: Come not to a prideful place.
> 
>  _Da'len_ : little child, or "little one"
> 
>  _Hahren_ : Elder. Used as a term of respect by the Dalish


End file.
